Unboxing and Getting the Hardware Ready

Unpack

Unpack the Omega2 LTE

SIM Card

Insert your NanoSIM Card in the slot on the bottom

Provide Power

In general, the Omega2 LTE can be powered through the USB Type-C port or a LiPo battery. For the first time setup, we strongly recommend using a USB Power source to make sure the setup process is not interrupted.

You can power it with your computer or any wall adapter

Power On!

Turn on the Omega2 LTE using the switch.

Wait till it boots

The amber Omega status LED beside the Onion logo should turn on and then start blinking after about 10 seconds. In about a minute, the LED will stop blinking and remain solid, this means that the Omega has completed its boot sequence!

Using the Setup Wizard

Some Computer Configuration

Your computer may need some additional programs to access the Omega through a browser:

If you are using Linux, the Zeroconf services should already be installed and you will be good to go

The Omega’s Name

Let’s find your Omega’s name before going any further.

There’s a sticker on the shielding of the Omega2S module on the Omega2 LTE

The text printed below the bar code is the Omega2 LTE’s unique MAC address, we’re interested in the last four digits. Your Omega’s name is Omega-XXXX where XXXX are the last four digits from the sticker.

So the Omega from the picture above is named Omega-D492

Connect to the Omega’s WiFi Network

The Omega hosts it’s own WiFi network access point. Lets connect your computer to it. The WiFi network is named the same as your Omega and the default password is 12345678

The Setup Wizard

Open your favourite browser and navigate to http://omega-XXXX.local/ where XXXX are the same characters from the network name above. If the page doesn’t load, you can also browse to http://192.168.3.1

You have now arrived at the Setup Wizard, hit Continue to get started:

Login with the Omega’s default credentials:

username: root
password: onioneer

Connect to WiFi

After you’ve logged in, the Omega will scan the environment for available networks and will show the results in a list. In our case, we want to connect to the WiFi network (creatively) named MyWiFiNetwork, so we’ll go ahead and click on it:

This will open a prompt to enter the network password, if the network requires a password:

Notice how you’ll only be able to click Join when the password length requirements have been met:

Once you click Join, your Omega will attempt to join the network. This might take up to a minute.

It’s possible that your computer will disconnect from the Omega’s WiFi Access Point, make sure to reconnect if that happens!

When to Omega starts connecting, the Blue WiFi LED on the Omega2 LTE will start to blink.

When the connection is successful, the LED will turn solid, and the setup wizard will let you know the connection is successful before moving on to the next step.

Software Updates

Last step! Now that your Omega is connected to the internet, it will check if software updates are required.

If updates are available, you’ll be able to update by clicking the Update Now button.

Something really important to remember about the update process: it’s absolutely critical that you keep your Omega plugged in and powered on during the update process. The whole process will last about 5 minutes and then you’ll be ready to start making awesome things with your Omega:

Your Omega will download the updates and install them. The amber LED on your Omega will be blinking at this point.

Finally, your Omega will reboot and initialize the new software. You’ll know everything is done when the amber status LED on your Omega stops blinking and remains on.

When that happens, press Continue. That brings us to the end of the Setup Wizard, your Omega is now configured and ready to go!

From now on, when you point your browser to your Omega, you’ll be taken directly to OnionOS.

The Setup Wizard Didn’t Work for me!

Setting Up Cellular Data

Now that your Omega2 LTE is up to date, let’s get it connected to the cellular network so you can make use of your new-found mobility!

Connecting Antennas

To offer flexibility in choosing antennas, the Omega2 LTE features u.FL antenna connectors for connecting two LTE antennas and a GNSS antenna. The Omega2 LTE needs these antennas to connect to cellular networks and GNSS satellites.

4G LTE Main Antenna

GNSS Antenna

4G LTE Diversity Antenna

There are two antennas marked 4G: one is the main antenna, and the other is a diversity antenna. The main and diversity antennas work together to improve the quality and reliability of the wireless link. While it is possible to just use the main antenna and get cellular reception, using the diversity antenna as well will increase reception, especially indoors.

Connect each antenna’s male U.FL connector to the U.FL socket on the Omega2 LTE. Delicately but firmly push the connector down onto the socket until it snaps into place.

Finding your Cellular Provider’s APN

Similar to how WiFi networks have names, cellular networks have Access Point Names (APN). Any devices looking to connect to a particular cellular network will need to know that network’s APN.

Disable the Cellular Data Connection

Sharing the Cellular Data Connection

Once your Omega2 LTE has a cellular data connection, it’s possible to share that cellular data using the Omega’s WiFi Access Point network.

With this this network sharing functionality, many devices can connect to the internet with a single cellular connection! Very useful for building a remote sensor hub or a network hotspot when you’re on the go!

It’s also possible to read the raw NMEA strings generated by the receiver on the /dev/ttyUSB1 serial device.

First disable the ogps daemon since it’s occupying the serial port connection to the GNNS receiver:

/etc/init.d/ugps stop
/etc/init.d/ugps disable

Then you can take a look at the GNSS output directly by running:

cat /dev/ttyUSB1

Expect to see quite a bit of output:

Reading the NMEA message data directly is useful if you would like to do your own additional parsing of the GNSS data, perhaps using Python and the PySerial package.

To use the ubus call gps info location data read-out mentioned previously after doing this process, you’ll need to re-run the command mentioned in the Enable the GNSS Receiver section.

Disable the GNSS Receiver

Disable the GNSS receiver by running the following command:

o2lte gnss disable

The Omega2 LTE will consume more power while the GNSS receiver is active, so disabling it when it is not in use is good practise.

What if it doesn’t find my location?

If the modem is not locked to enough satellites, the ubus call gps info command will return

{
"signal": false
}

In this case you may need to give the modem more time to lock onto a satellite; try it again after 10 or 30 seconds.

If it still doesn’t work, you will need to move to a more open area where the Omega2 LTE can see more satellites and/or use a more powerful GNSS or GPS antenna.

You may need to go outside in order to get a lock on enough satellites to get a reading of your location. It’s also possible to check the number of satellites currently in range by interpreting the NMEA messages read from the GNSS receiver (see the previous section for more details).

GPIOs & Expansion Header

The Omega2 LTE features a 30-pin Expansion Header that gives you easy access to the GPIOs, and allows you to connect Omega2 Expansions directly.

The Omega2 LTE is compatible with the existing ecosystem of plug-and-play Omega2 expansions.

The Status LEDs

The Omega2 LTE uses a series of LEDs to provide visual feedback on the current status of the device:

Status LED

Indicates

A. Green Power LED

Running on battery

B. Amber System status LED

Whether Linux OS has booted

C. Blue Wi-Fi status LED

Connection to a Wi-Fi network is active

D. Green Cellular network status

Connection to cellular network is active

E. Amber Cellular network activity

Transmitting and receiving cellular data

And what the behaviour of each LED indicates:

System status LED

Off – Device not powered on

Blinking – Booting/updating

On – Up and running

WiFi status LED

Off – Not connected to WiFi network

Blinking – Connecting

On – Connected

Cellular network status LED

Off – Not connected to cellular network

On – Connection to cellular network established

Cellular network activity LED

Slow Blink – Searching for network

Blinking – Idle

Flickering – Ongoing data transfer

LiPo Battery Support

The Omega2 LTE features hardware for LiPo battery management and sports a JST-PH battery connector. LiPo batteries can be used as the main power source, and will be charged when the Omega is connected to USB power.

Use a battery to make your project portable, or to act as a back-up power supply.

It’s also perfectly alright to power the Omega2 LTE with just USB power.

Connecting a Battery

The Omega2 LTE is designed for use with 3.7V LiPo Batteries with standard 2-pin JST-PH connectors (2mm spacing between pins). A battery can be connected at any time!

Reading the Battery Level

There is also an on-board ADC for reading the battery voltage level. To do so, run the following on the command line:

power-dock2

You’ll see something like the following output:

root@Omega-D492:/# power-dock2
Battery Voltage Level: 4.10 V

Charging a Connected Battery

Whenever the Omega2 LTE is connected to a USB power supply, it will be powered by the USB power supply and a connected battery will be charged if needed.

The battery management hardware will take care not to overcharge your batteries!